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Canadian Tire and NHL seek Canada's Hockey All-Stars with help from Jonathan Toews

Jonathan Toews, founding member of Canadian Tire Hockey School™, is joined by youth hockey players to announce the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition. Finalists will compete in the championships ... Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Jonathan Toews, founding member of Canadian Tire Hockey School™, is joined by youth hockey players to announce the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition. Finalists will compete in the championships during the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game weekend in Ottawa. Visit www.canadiantirehockeyschool.ca for details. (CNW Group/Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited )

Young Canadian players can compete for chance to attend the 2012 NHL®
All-Star Game in Ottawa

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2011 /CNW/ - Do you have what it takes to win the
title of Canada's most skilled youth hockey player? Canadian Tire
Hockey School™ (CTHS) and the National Hockey League® (NHL) today
announced the launch of the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills
Competition. Fifteen regional qualifying competitions will run across
Canada through December, 2011. The strongest contenders will compete
in the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills National Championship in Ottawa
during the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game weekend (January 29-30, 2012).

"I'm looking forward to seeing fellow hockey school members competing in
and enjoying these events," said Jonathan Toews, founding member of
CTHS™, and winner of the Stanley Cup® and a Canadian Olympic Gold
Medal. "I know the thrill of competing, winning and the camaraderie in
competitions like the NHL® All-Star Skills Competition, and I'm excited
that Canadian Tire and the NHL can bring this experience to Canada's
minor hockey players."

Canadian Tire, Canada's largest hockey retailer, is providing young
hockey players (ages 7 to 12) an opportunity to showcase their skills
at a national level. Youth hockey players will compete in a series of
four challenges modelled after the NHL® All-Star Skills Competition:
fastest skating, shooting accuracy, puck control and passing accuracy.
The winning players overall will travel to Ottawa to compete in the
Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills National Championship, attend the 2012
NHL® All-Star Skills Competition and the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game at
Scotiabank Place. Winners will be selected from three age groupings, in
the boys and girls division.

"As Canada's largest hockey retailer, Canadian Tire is the home of
hockey - the place where many Canadians go for their first pair of
skates or hockey stick," said Mike Arnett, President of Canadian Tire
Retail. "Most importantly, we want to give our young hockey school
members the chance to experience the fun and thrills that NHL players
like Jonathan get to experience."

"We are proud to offer a new national youth hockey competition program
that will provide a platform for youth hockey players to test their
skills against their peers. Our goal is to celebrate their dedication
to the sport by giving these talented players the most pronounced NHL
experience possible at qualifying and championship events," said Brian
Jennings, the NHL's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "Our
alliance with Canadian Tire expresses precisely what we've envisioned
as it relates to the reach, scale and power when partnering with such
an iconic Canadian brand."

As an official partner of the NHL, Canadian Tire continues to be a
valuable partner in the development of grassroots initiatives across
Canadian communities. With the successful launch of the Canadian Tire
Hockey School (CTHS) in August 2010, the NHL and Canadian Tire continue
to design platforms that extend and engage family activity while
establishing youth skill development.

Canadian Tire Hockey School offers opportunities for kids and parents to
learn more about hockey. From on-ice tips and tricks from NHL® alumni
to helpful advice on equipment and training, these events offer a fun
and interactive way to learn more about the game so many Canadians
love.

Visit www.canadiantirehockeyschool.ca to join the school and register for a chance to participate in one of
15 upcoming Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition qualifying
events in your local community. Ultimately everyone who registers has
a chance to make it to Ottawa, beyond the regional winners, 10 lucky
wildcard winners will be randomly selected to join the festivities.

About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC.a) (TSX:CTC) is one of
Canada's most-shopped general retailers and the country's largest
sporting goods retailer, with more than 1,700 retail and gasoline
outlets from coast-to-coast. Our primary retail business categories -
Automotive, Living, Fixing, Playing and Apparel - are supported and
strengthened by our Financial Services division, which offers such
products and services as credit cards, retail deposits, in-store
financing, product warranties, and insurance. Nearly 68,000 people are
employed across the Canadian Tire enterprise, which was founded in 1922
and remains one of Canada's most recognized and trusted brands.

About the NHL
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the
four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today,
the NHL® consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's
international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries
represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research
study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access
content through digital means more than any other major professional
sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million fans each season
in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC,
TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, ESPN America, ASN and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL
Radio™, Sirius XM Satellite Radio and XM Canada). Through the NHL
Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and
awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and
supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on
the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About Jonathan Toews
Born in Winnipeg Manitoba, Jonathan Toews is a Stanley Cup® Champion and
Olympic Gold Medalist. Toews currently plays for and is team captain
of the Chicago Blackhawks, making him currently the youngest captain in
the NHL, and the third youngest full captain in NHL history. The fully
bilingual Toews competes internationally for Team Canada, having won
gold medals at the 2005 World U-18, the 2005 World U-18 Hockey
Challenge, 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships, 2007 World
Championships, and the 2010 Winter Olympics (a tournament in which he
was named Best Forward). Toews won the Stanley Cup in 2010, becoming
the second-youngest captain ever to win the Stanley Cup®, and was
presented with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. After winning
the Cup, Toews passed Peter Forsberg as the youngest player to be
inducted into the Triple Gold Club. As recognition for his ongoing
contribution to his community, In July 2010 the City of Winnipeg gave
Toews the Keys to the City.

NHL, NHL All-Star Game, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of
the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and NHL Junior Skills and NHL
All-Star Skills Competition are trademarks of the National Hockey
League. Canadian Tire, the Canadian Tire triangle design, Canadian
Tire Hockey School and CTHS are trademarks of Canadian Tire
Corporation, Limited.

Image with caption: "Jonathan Toews, founding member of Canadian Tire Hockey School™, is joined by youth hockey players to announce the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills Competition. Finalists will compete in the championships during the 2012 NHL® All-Star Game weekend in Ottawa. Visit www.canadiantirehockeyschool.ca for details. (CNW Group/Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited )". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20110907_C9057_PHOTO_EN_2911.jpg